I could not imagine any better way to spend my 4th of July than by going to RFK Stadium in DC and seeing the Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout. I mean, the stars just seemed to align with this one. Dave Grohl grew up in DC, so it was a homecoming show of sorts, taking place exactly 20 years to the date from the release of the Foo's debut album. And on top of that, the show takes place in the Nations capital on its Birthday!? Tickets purchased.
Believe it or not, I was a Foo Fighters virgin prior to this show. And although it took 20 years for me to finally see them live, I'm happy about the way that virginity was taken. (With 60,000 other people in a massive stadium)
There was much conversation on what Dave Grohl's condition would be for the show. After all, he had just broken his leg on stage a few weeks prior, and cancelled huge shows including Wembley Stadium and a headlining slot at Glastonbury. Would he be stool bound the entire show? On crutches, not playing guitar? In a wheelchair? I'll admit one of the best moments of the show was finding out...
The mighty Dave came out in an elaborate thrown, complete with swinging lights and guitars. He had his broken leg elevated, but that didn't stop him from playing his guitar. The Foo's surprisingly ripped though best tune 'Everlong' to open the show. The thrown got even better half way through this opener, when you realized it was mobile, and started traveling down the stage section that extended into the crowd. It was wild and so much better than expected.
The opening of the show could only be described as Foo Fighters greatest hits. The setlist below shows that this opening would be enjoyed by even the most casual music fan. It seemed like it wasn't until over an hour into the show where you could take a breath and realize what you were seeing.
Prior to playing 'Big Me,' Grohl took some time to explain exactly why he was sitting in this thrown. He showed a slide show that included clips of his fall and x-rays of his broken leg. He even included an original drawing of the thrown he came up with while drugged up, recovering from surgery. It was a nice connection to the audience and seemed to make everyone appreciate the rock star even more for his effort to be here.
Grohl departed his thrown at one point, and used crutches to hobble over to a chair at the end of the stage. He was joined by Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, both with acoustic guitars, to play acoustic versions of fan favorites 'My Hero' and 'Times Like These.' Hearing theses tunes performed acoustically was magical in the huge stadium. Everyone seemed to be singing together.
The second half of the show was clearly dedicated to the bands debut album. After all, it has been 20 years to the date! Who would have ever thought that the Foo's would get so big? The highlight here was when Dave brought his Mom up on stage before playing 'For All the Cows.'
There wasn't much that the Foo's missed on the night. The setlist was very friendly for all kinds of Foo's fans, hitting the bands 8 best known songs for sure. The fans were appreciative, and more of a laid back group than expected. I was easily able to make my way up about 15 people deep from the stage, in the middle of this massive RFK crowd.
The expected and proper closer was 'Best of You,' which led right into fireworks going off above the stage. The fireworks started at midnight, concluding a near three hour set.
The effort and setlist put together by the Foo's was incredible. This definitely is going down as the best 4th of July of all time, and one of the best shows of the year. I wouldn't have wanted my first Foo Fighters show to have been any other way. And one more shout out to Dave Grohl... What a rock star.
CONCERT RATING: 4.5 Stars
SETLIST:
1. Everlong
2. Monkey Wrench
3. Learn to Fly
4. Something from Nothing
5. The Pretender
6. Big Me
7. Congregation
8. Walk
9. I'm the One (Van Halen cover)
10. Another One Bites the Dust (Queen cover)
11. Owner of a Lonely Heart (Yes cover)
12. Cold Day in the Sun (Taylor on vocals)
13. My Hero (acoustic)
14. Times Like These (acoustic)
15. Under Pressure (Queen cover)
16. All My Life
17. These Days
18. Outside
19. Breakout
20. For All the Cows (Dave's Mom on stage)
21. Alone + Easy Target
22. This is a Call
23. Generator
24. Best of You
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